Culinary ramblings of a mischievous cook. Recipes,pictures,diary entries and all things foodie.Follow a journey of life in the east Algarve, Portugal...

Wednesday, 12 September 2012

A infanta Portuguesa e o borracheiro-

A storm in a tea cup

First shown on English television in 1984, the famous 'You Can't Get Better Than a Kwik-Fit Fitter' adverts made the company into a household name.When I pulled into my local pit stop here in Portugal to have a tyre changed earlier this week the last thing I expected was to be greeted by an extremely well educated and polite fitter. I certainly did not expect to leave with a gem of a snippet of Anglo Portuguese history under my belt.The story I left with was the true story of how afternoon tea was introduced into English society and it inspired me to delve deeper and check out some more precise facts.Nowadays tea is so much associated with the British
way of life that it may come as a surprise to learn, as I did, that it owes much of
its popularity to a foreign princess. While it is not true to say
that Catherine of Braganza, the queen-consort of Charles II of England,
actually introduced tea to Britain, she certainly had much to do with it
becoming a fashionable and widely drunk beverage.With her marriage to Charles II,
suddenly two life-long tea drinkers took the throne of England by storm and tea became
the "in" drink. Before long, afternoon tea had become an English tradition.

Catherine arrived in Portsmouth on 13 May 1662 and after a long
and stormy crossing, she asked on her arrival for a cup of
tea. So rare was it at this time that there was none available; the
princess was offered a glass of ale instead. Not surprisingly, this did
not make her feel any better, and for a time she was forced by illness
to retire to her bedchamber.She had however brought with her as part of her dowry a chest of tea, not only her
personal preference, but the favoured drink at the Portuguese court and already common across Europe.

Over time she established herself, and as the pre-eminent woman in
the kingdom became something of a trend-setter. Although she adopted
English fashions, she continued to prefer the cuisine of her native
Portugal - including tea. Soon her taste for tea had caused not only a fad at the
royal court but had gained social
acceptance which then spread among the English aristocracy and then to the
wealthier classes.

Catherine was a Roman Catholic, which occasionally made her a
victim of popular anti-Catholic feeling. Although she remained in
England for some years after her husband's death in 1685, she eventually
retired to Portugal where she died in 1705. But While
Catherine's experience as queen of England may not have been an entirely
successful or happy one in many ways, it is this young foreign princess
to whom we have to thank for the development of the British taste for tea.

The actual taking of tea in the afternoon
developed into a new social event some time in the late 1830’s and early
1840’s.

The legacy of a Portuguese princess

And the story continues.....

The Horta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and
Adiaspora.com have offered to present a bust of Catherine of Braganza
as a gift from the Islands of the Azores to the London borough of Lambeth and the
Portuguese-speaking community there.

The groups behind the initiative already have an
Azorean-based Portuguese sculptor who is designing the statue, which will
be made out of basalt stone. This type of volcanic rock is iconic and
the most connected with the Azores because of the constant volcanic and
seismic activity in the archipelago.

Lambeth
Council have responded enthusiastically to the idea, (Interestingly in a multi-racial borough, a proposed statue of the Queen of Tea Drinking comes up without a lump or two of controversy).Stockwell
Labour Councillor Alex Bigham said:

“This is a fantastic testament to
the relationship between Britain and Portugal – the oldest of our
alliances. Celebrating Catherine of Braganza reminds of us the shared
history of our two nations which is reflected in the vibrant and
thriving Portuguese community which we have in Stockwell and the rest of
Lambeth.”

Adelina Pereira, a member of the
Portuguese community who helped facilitate the gift said

“This artistic
endeavour is something that is very close to the heart of the
Portuguese people. Although Catherine was initially unpopular because of
language difficulties and her Catholic religion, the British public
warmed to her because of her decorum and loyalty to her adopted
country.”

Lambeth Council officers are
currently considering the proposal, and the statue is likely to be
situated on Wilcox Road, near the area of Stockwell known as ‘Little Portugal’.

The statue is believed to be the first monument to a person of Portuguese origin in the UK.

About Me

I´m a self-taught cook.From my childhood in Scotland through growing up in South East England, my mother was my formative influence. Holidays in Europe, America,Africa and Scandinavia fed me with culinary inspiration. Fifteen years of holidaying in Tavira, led me to up roots and follow the dream to live in Portugal. Here in Castro Marim we run a small guest house, Casa Rosada.Relocation has opened my eyes and taste buds to how recipes and their ingredients can change and develop when incorporated into another country´s food culture and how foreigners like myself adapt the local dishes,bringing a new slant to them.In the last three years I have been researching and cooking traditional Portugueses dishes and then inventing a modern twist to them. I´ve started this food blog so I can share new recipes and a slice of Algarvian life here at Casa Rosada here in Castro Marim.